At Least Four Dead After Suspected Pesticide Poisoning in Texas

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(AMARILLO, Texas) -- At least four people, all believed to be minors, are dead in Amarillo, Texas, after a pest control chemical created lethal gas in a home, according to fire officials.

The Amarillo Fire Department called it an "accidental poisoning with no criminal intent."

According to AFD, the homeowner sprayed "Weevil-Cide," a pesticide that contained the chemical aluminum phosphide, underneath their home. When one family member allegedly tried to wash it away with water, AFD said, it caused a chemical reaction that created phosphine gas, a toxic gas that can cause pulmonary edema and respiratory failure.

AFD said officials responded to the medical call after 5 a.m. Monday and arrived at the house to find one person unconscious and unresponsive, and others sick. CPR was administered on the unconscious person, but they had died at the scene, AFD said.

Nine other people inside the house were transported to a local hospital, according to AFD, including one patient who was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Emergency Room despite CPR efforts from AFD and the department's Hazardous Materials Response Team.

It was not immediately clear how long the family had been exposed to the toxic gas.

First responders from AFD, APD and AMR were treated at the hospital, but none appeared to have any signs or symptoms from possible exposure, AFD said.

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